Retro Comic Recap: Marvel Two-In-One #24

Hello all,

It's time for me to talk about the twenty-fourth issue of Marvel Two-In-One. The cover depicted Black Goliath trying to shield the Thing from green tendrils of gas as the Hijacker loomed behind them in one of his large contraptions. The tale was titled "Does Anyone Remember...The Hijacker?" The issue had a cover date of February 1977.

The story started in a lab, where Ben Grimm was begging to be let out of the atmospheric chamber he was in, whose conditions were supposed to mimic those that existed on the planet Venus. Bill Foster was monitoring the situation and wasn't ready to let Ben free just yet. The lab was in Los Angeles, and Foster's employer, Tony Stark, checked in on the test via video monitor from New York. He was confident that the strongest member of the Fantastic Four could endure whatever was thrown at him.

A short while later, a guard outside the research facility was stunned by something that appeared behind him. By the time Foster returned the test conditions to those resembling Earth, he and his colleagues were hit with gas grenades. Grimm watched helplessly as the scientists started to struggle. He then saw the man behind their woes, as the villain called the Hijacker emerged from the gaseous clouds.

Gas was seeping into every chamber except Ben's. Foster was down on the floor below most of the gas clouds, but was still a bit off his game when he grabbed at his foe's foot. He still managed to hit the release button that freed Grimm before succumbing to the mists. Ben rushed inside to save Foster and tore off Stark's exo suit before going after the Hijacker. 

Foster had enough time to recover and donned his Black Goliath costume before his body began to expand. By then, the Hijacker had discovered a weapons cache full of items that he could sell to the highest bidders. However, Ben arrived on the scene before he could take anything. Not even a barrage of missiles could deter the star of this book.

Black Goliath stepped into the room minutes later, and the Hijacker's heat gun provided a brief window for him to retreat and enter his massive armed fortress on wheels. The vehicle was impressive, but not indestructible. Ben and Bill's combined efforts were finally enough to stop the car from moving forward. Foster tore open its canopy, and Grimm wrenched the utility belt from their opponent. Without his weapons and helmet, the Hijacker was no longer a threat. A simple flick of one of Ben's mighty fingers sent their assailant flying. 

This was the first of several team-ups that the Thing would have with Black Goliath (who would later change his superhero name to Giant Man). Ben and Bill also forged a friendship that would last throughout most of the remainder of this series' run. Black Goliath had his own title that lasted five issues in the 1970s. He also appeared in ongoing series like Luke Cage, Power Man, and the original Champions. It's a shame that he's not around anymore. He was one of those underrated characters that we needed to see a lot more of. 

That's all I have for you today. Next time, I'll talk about the twenty-fifth issue of this title. Ben pairs up with Cage's future partner in a yarn that spans across multiple nations. Until then, have a great week and don't forget to be kind to one another.